


Drink to us

by mckirk



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Academy Era, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluffy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Funny, M/M, Pain, Star Trek - Freeform, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2014-03-28
Packaged: 2018-01-06 04:05:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 18
Words: 8,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mckirk/pseuds/mckirk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter where Leonard looked, he was always there. The man with the blue eyes. Sprawled out across a table in a bar, blood gushing from his nose; acing a test after finishing insanely early; peering at Leonard when he wasn't looking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everywhere

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always open to ways on how to improve my fic, ideas on how it should continue, and if you see a mistake, don't be afraid to tell me about it! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> I apologize if my chapter updates seem quite short but I often choose the most awkward times of the day to write and run out of ideas quite abruptly, but I can ensure that updates will keep coming steadily as i'm wanting to make this a full blown fic.
> 
> PS- Follow my twitter, @desztiel
> 
> ~THANK YOU FOR 1K READS, LETS SEE IF WE CAN GET IT HIGHER!~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to leave kudos and a comment if you enjoy!

Everywhere, Leo saw him everywhere. Whether it was a glint of blue from his eyes or a cheeky upturned grin that grabbed Leo's attention, he knew life at the academy wouldn't quite be the same if the mysterious man wasn't there. In lectures he would chew the end of his pen, gazing at Leo with eyes full of intention that was never reciprocated by unwilling subject of the mans focus, who found his eyes too deep to gaze into, lest they swallowed him whole. But Leonard saw this man the most whilst on shift at the university hospital, he appeared to get seriously injured more often than Leo appreciated. Despite not knowing the man personally, Leo felt a gravity between them that threatened to knock him off his feet whenever they shared a look, and threatened to eat him up when he saw the man in pain, which was alot of the time.

 

"Weren't you about to stick that thing in my arm? Hello?" 

Leo jumped. He'd been gazing at the man who he saw so often in the hospital, his sapphire eyes now swollen and his face a painting of cuts and bruises. "Hello, doc?" 

"Oh, damn, sorry," Leo gasped, phasing back in to reality, "As I was saying, this hypo will induce unconsciousness so I can work on the damage to your face." the words caught in his throat. "You seem a little on edge doc, is this a good time?" the man spoke raspily. "Oh yeah, no, I mean, yes it's a good time," Leo choked, "and call me Leonard, everyone does, I find being on a first name basis breaks down the barrier between patient and doctor."

"Ok Leonard, I'm Kirk, James Tiberius." "That's... a fancy name..." Leo stuttered, he was sweating profusely. The man to whom he seemed to be the focus of in many lectures was chatting to him in the ward, his face torn and bloody. Although relatively posturely small, he exuded an aura of hugeness, both mentally and physically, which intimidated Leo, although he felt that it was not to make people feel uneasy, James did not seem like that sort of person. "So Leonard, you were gonna hypo me, right?" James questioned, wiping at the blood that drizzled out of his burst lip. "That's the plan." Leo joked uneasily, carefully pricking James with the hypo needle, and watching as his eyes closed smoothly despite the swelling, as they had done so many times before in Leonard's hospital room, but this time felt different.

Sunlight beamed through the curtains and Leonard writhed under his covers, absorbing the heat of the morning. Peeling his eyes open, he walked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, casually spitting a mouthful of toothpaste into the sink and swigging a glass of water before getting dressed and combing his hair neatly. Leonard stepped out of his dorm. Wincing against his PADD, he noticed the name at the top of the list of his patients today and his stomach did a little flip, "James Kirk." he was hoping that kid had sucked it up and went home last night.

The walk to Medical was short and brisk, and he soon found himself peering in through the window of Jim's room with a clipboard held to his chest, the kids face printed on the medical documents, beaming a stupid smile. Opening the door slowly, he noticed Jim was asleep, and relaxed a little. He'd never get off so easy. "Morning doc!" Jim spouted, wincing at the light of his room, apparently wide awake. "I don't know why you stayed overnight," Leonard tested, "Your injuries are healing well and they're nowhere near serious enough to have to stay in care this long."

Jim chuckled, "I thought you'd like to check me over one more time, and I wanted to see you, I think we really connected last night."

Leonard attached a little device to Jim's ear reluctantly and read a few lines off of his PADD, reaching over Jim to grab a cotton bud, and wiping at the cut on his cheek. "You're fine, you're free to leave when I'm finished." Leonard droned out in his most professional tone, but Jim wasn't giving up. "Maybe we could meet up for dinner tonight, just to make sure I'm totally 100% fine." Leonard wasn't going to win. This kid was annoyingly persistent. "I get off shift at 6, where we're you thinking we'd go?"  
"I know a cool little noodle place."  
"Pick me up from my dorm at 7, i'm presuming you already know where it is..." Leonard mumbled.  
"Actually I do, see you there!" Jim jumped up from his bed and exited the room, flashing Leonard a shit-eating smile as he turned and closed the door behind him.

Leonard wasn't even going to ask how Jim knew where he lived. All he knew was that he was having dinner with this kid at 7 tonight, this horribly persistent, adorable, idiotic kid.

The light that shone from beneath Leo's door was cut into darkness and he realised that Jim was standing out in the corridor, waiting for him. Those suspicions were confirmed under the shrill ring of his doorbell and through a childish, "anyone in?" spoke from outside, Jim's voice seeping easily through his paper-thin walls. "Coming." Bones stared into the mirror, teasing his hair into a side parting. He threw on a suit jacked and unlatched the door, meeting Jim's sea-blue eyes, which glowed with happiness and colour. Jim had tidied up his hair and was kitted out in a cream flannel shirt and blue jeans, which were faded by design at the front. Damn, this kid cleaned up nicely. (with very little effort, Leonard gathered.)

Leonard gasped, "You look, slick."  
"So does your hair, what is that, gel?" Jim stuck an intrusive finger into Leo's hair, misplacing his fringe which fell loosely across his face. "Yes, I wanted to look nice,"  
Jim joked, "...to your first school dance?" "You're an idiot."  
"I'm your idiot for tonight."  
"Lucky me."

The walk was brisk and the cold winter chill of Los Angeles had settled as a biting mist which quilted the floor. Leo snuggled his face deep into his coat, tucking his hands into his pockets and breathing out wisps of steam that danced towards the sky. Jim seemed utterly unphased by the cold, prancing ahead of Leonard because he was like the fucking roadrunner. "A bit nippy don't cha' think?"  
"Just the way I like it." Jim sniggered, doing a little spin wearing just a jacket over his clothes for warmth, which fanned out as he did so like little angel wings. "Winter never got too cold in Iowa, I prefer when it's cold over when it's hot because it's easy to warm up with a hot drink and a blanket and a bedbuddy," Jim peered at Leo who laughed and smacked him on the arm, "But when it's warm, there's not a whole lot you can do to get cold, besides cranking up the air-conditioning or stripping naked, but I'd do that at any temperature." Jim winked at Leo who made some incomprehensible noises. "You're insane."  
"My mum says It's in my genes, from my dad. They used to go on these big trips around the country when they weren't off-planet. Apparently I was conceived in New York."  
"Yeah well I was conceived in a ranch in Georgia." Leo replied, "Maybe not so impressive."  
"I don't know, I like Georgia, only been once, but the peaches were to die for,"  
"They are good peaches."

The restaurant was nice and packed, layers of conversations drowning out the quiet but smooth jazz that was flowing out of numerous antique speakers. Leo ordered the same as Jim and because Jim would never stop talking, only breaking his flow of words to breathe or to stuff his mouth with noodles, there really wasn't a dull moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Leonard slurped back a forkful of food and dappled at his mouth with a little napkin covered in Chinese symbols. "So, what's the deal with you being so upfront about asking me out? There's no way you could have know I was, interested in men." "I've seen the way you look at guys in Lectures!" "Yeah well I've seen the way you fucking stare at me whenever we're near each other." "Don't pretend you don't like it." Jim laughed, tucking a corner of the tablecloth down the front of his shirt. "Here, you've got half the pot of noodles around your mouth." Leonard grimaced, throwing Jim a napkin which he rubbed against his lips and threw back at Leonard for some unapparent reason, hitting him smack in the face. "Ugh, you're such an infant." Leonard smirked, peeling the offending object off of his cheek and throwing it back at Jim. "Don't you forget it, I'm like 10 years younger than you, Bones." "What was that" "What was what" Kirk grinned. "What you called me, just then, _Bones_."

"Well, you're a doctor, doctors play around with bones."

Revision, tons of it. Final Examinations were looming over Leonard like a fucking grand shadow and his patience was wearing thin. Since their dinner at the noodle place, Jim had announced that Leonard was now his best friend, and they did spend an awful lot of time with each other as of late.

Leo was leaning against the end of his bed, surrounded by a sea of revision notes, textbooks and empty mugs. "Why didn't I just become a fucking farmer." Leo growled, sifting through a pile of Xenobiology notes. Jim grinned, "You'd never have met me."

"Is that meant to be a bad thing."

The television blared quietly in the background, bathing the room in a warm light that changed in time with the program. "aren't you meant to be revising too, you little know-it-all?"

"Keep up Bones, I took my exams last month, remember."

"I didn't even know you a damn month ago, I can't remember things that I never knew."

"Isn't that what you're trying to do right now."

Leonard huffed, "Unlike you, I do actually listen In lectures and don't know it all before I step into the room, that's why it's called  _revision._ "

Jim leaned back in Leonard's desk chair and laughed. 

"You're staying here an awful lot lately," Leonard drilled, "did your current dorm burn the fuck down or something?"

"Don't pretend you don't love it."

And Leonard did love it, he fucking loved it when Jim was around. It was a welcome break from being lonely and bitter, and as much as Leonard attempted to object to this, It was obvious to not only him but some of his other friends how much he liked the kid. The clock chimed on the wall as the little minute hand flicked past midnight, and Leonard peered up from his notes and drafts to see that Jim was still sat there in his desk chair, his face illuminated slightly by the glow of his PADD, laughing a little at the game he was playing.

"It's midnight y'know." Leonard pondered, "You should probably get home."  
  


"Nah, I'll stay." 

"You can't just invite yourself over to someone elses house for a sleepover without telling them you little twat."

Jim threw a plump cushion at Leonards face and hopped onto his bed, hiding under the covers in a little lump. Leonard sighed and pulled all of his revision papers into a stack and placed them down on his dresser, peering back at his bed to see that the Jim lump had moved a few spaces to the right. In a moment of ninja-like tip-toeing, Leo sneaked towards the bed and shoved Jim off the side, who landed in a pile of covers and made a little unuadible sound before jumping back onto the bed (and onto Leonard) with the cover held behind him like fabric bat wings. They wrestled around for a bit and then settled next to each other, Leonard positioned his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. "I guess you can stay if you insist on being such a damn infant." he laughed. 

No one could make Leonard happy since Jocelyn left him and took Joanna besides Jim, and he wasn't about to push that little idiot out of his life like he did with almost everyone else.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shit, my exam!" Leo jumped up in shock and rolled off the side of the bed, sprawling around on the floor and then jumping up, pulling his clothes on like a savage, "My exam is in 10 fucking minutes, Jim!" Jim rolled around under the cover and padded at the air, grunting through his nose.

"I swear to god Jim." Leo moaned, running out of the dorm room and into the corridor, slamming the door behind him, " _If I had your fucking brain exams would be a breeze._ " he grumbled.

It went surprisingly well. Despite the distraction of Jim the night before the exam he'd managed to do enough revision and the paper itself wasn't as hard as he thought it would be, an opinion not shared by some of the other students that had sat around him, he gathered. 

"How was the Exam?" Jim snorted, sat on the side of Leo's bed.

"It was good."

" _good_?"

"Yeah, thats what I said."

"You're such a nerd," Jim chuckled, "no-one find exams  _good._ _"_

 _  
_"Oh, says the guy who took all of his exams early because they were so _easy._ "

"Oh come on Bones, pre-schoolers could do that shit."

 

The day at the academy passed slowly and Jim hadn't stepped out of Leo's dorm all day, apart from to collect some groceries, because if Jim was going to insist on spending 24 hours a day at Leo's apartment then he had to _pull his own weight._ "Are you like, attached to me? by the hip?"

Jim slurped back a spoonful of pasta, "You wish."

"Is your dorm a nuclear hazard area, or something?"

"Not exactly, I just don't like having room-mates."

"Well that's pretty rich saying you spend all your time in my dorm."

"I said I don't like room- _mates,_ room- _best friends_ I can deal with."


	4. Chapter 4

As usual Jim was in Leonard's dorm, without his permission of course. He was kind of like an intrusive little cat- you don't really mind that it's inside, but you can't help but wonder how. Did Jim shimmy up a drainpipe and squeeze through a crack in Leonard's window?

Leonard took a step back after opening the door and finding Jim spread across his sofa, gawping at the television, "I didn't expect to see you here, my door was locked."

"I have my  _ways._ " Jim laughed.

"Y'know, I'm pretty sure that you _also_  have a  _television_  in your apartment."

"Yeah I do, but I don't have a Bones."

Leonard laughed and hung his coat up by the door before slinging his bag playfully at Jim, who played dead until Leonard shook him by the shoulders and slouched next to him on the sofa.

"I'm visiting my parents next week," Jim huffed, "D'ya wanna come?"

Leonard blinked a few times and sat up a bit, "What? That's a bit... sudden."

"Well, d'ya or don't ya?"

"I guess I could use a break from all my studying and annoying fucking undergrads breaking their faces in bar fights." He gestured towards Jim who pretended to look offended.

"Good, then I'll book you a seat on train," His voice lowered slightly and he did an absurd wink, " _next to me."_

_"well who else was I going to fucking sit next to?"_

"Fair warning, I may be sick on you." Jim joked and pranced out of the room into the kitchen, peeling the lid off of a pot of pasta and rummaging around in Leonard's drawers to find a spoon. "Who's this?" Jim strolled back into the room, holding a little photograph. 

Leonard paused for a few seconds, "It's my kid, Joanna, she lives with her mother."

"Boy, she really did take everything." Jim chuffed.

"Yep, All I got left is my bones. And my annoying brat of a friend Jim."

 


	5. Chapter 5

"Packed?" Jim shouted from the kitchen, carrying a huge suitcase full of clothes and shit that only Jim would need. 

Jim had called Winona a couple of days ago, apparently she was pretty excited that Jim was  _finally bringing a man home!_ at which point he pretended to lose signal and bang his head against the wall until a little bruise flowered on his forehead, quickly removed by Leonards dermal regenerator.

"I just hope there's enough beds for us all..." Leonard grumbled, cramming the last of his casual clothes into his suitcase, ushering Jim over to press down on the top while he tugged at the zip and teased it shut. 

"We could always,  _share._ " Jim chuckled.

"You could always  _die._ "

"Why are we going by train anyway? We could be there in 10 minutes on a shuttle."

"I like the scenery and crap." Jim paused.

" _And it's a night-time journey, so If you get tired, you could, y'know, sleep on my shoulder."_

Leonard punched Jim's arm and heaved his suitcase out of the Dorm door, grabbing a set of keys and his jacket before they left. They dragged their way through the corridor and arrived at the stairwell. "This is steep when you're holding a damn suitcase!" Leonard shouted, muffled by a stream of bangs as their suitcases fell from one step to the next, "Why didn't we take the lift?"

"Because you can't do  _this_ in a lift." 

Jim placed his suitcase on the stairs like a sledge and hopped ontop, siezing the top handle of the bag with both hands and pushing himself off with his foot. There was an eruption of bangs and clatters and the idiot lay at the bottom of the stairwell, teary with laughter and probably quite bruised.

"My regenerator is at the bottom of my fucking bag so you're gonna have to deal with whatever horrible injuries you have now like a big girl, ok?"

Jim sniggered and hopped to his feet, mouthing  _I beat you_ to Leonard. 

It was only a couple of minutes before they arrived at the train station. Jim used his suitcase like a seat and stretched out into a lazy position, yawning and sliding his hands behind his head to make a cushion against the hard concrete of the pillar he had leant against. "Shuttles are over-rated" He murmured.

"I mean, they're fucking fast and environmentally friendly, but what's a journey without a view from your window?"

"A good, fast journey." Leonard grumbled.

"Oh come on, you can't say that the journey isn't the  _best_ part of going to meet someone,"

"I damn well can. Unlike you, I prefer the actual  _seeing who you're going to see_ part, not the high speed slalom in a metal coffin."

" _But you get to sit next to Jim Kirk."_

 _  
_"Just my luck."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~I felt like updating, but I wrote it on my ipod so i'm sorry that it's not that long. Anyway, enjoy and leave a kudos and a comment! :)

The brightness from the floodlights in the train tunnel was cut into little slats of light that dashed across the cabin, momentarily breaking the darkness as the train rumbled along the track. 

Leonard was tired and quietly excited about the adventure he and Jim were due to have, and as he looked down into the man's syrupy blonde hair who was using his shoulder as a headrest, he muttered a little and pressed a quiet kiss onto his head.

~

Jim heaved in a deep breath and pulled his suitcase out of the train, tripping slightly over the gap to the platform, "Just like I remembered it!"

"Is it always this damn hot?" Leonard grumbled, resting his suitcase against Jim's leg and talking a deep gulp from a bottle of water.

"Hot? Are you kidding, Bones? I'm gonna have to get my thermals out of my suitcase!"

Leonard snatched his luggage up and they rolled through the station, stopping momentarily to freshen up in the bathroom. The cab was waiting outside the station for them.

"So, how long is it to your mum's house?" Leonard huffed, wiping at his forehead with a hankerchief.

"Dunno, like 1 hour and a bit, or something."

"Yipee, another fucking journey next to you." Leonard laughed, placing his and Jim's suitcases in the boot of the cab.

It was even hotter in the car than it was outside, the windows steaming up with humidity almost instantly, "It's like we're on the fucking sun Jim, do you want me to die of heatstroke."

"Well Bones, get used to it, we've got a whole week yet! Welcome to Iowa!"


	7. Chapter 7

Apparently Jim hadn't done enough sleeping on the train, Leonard realized, as a mess of hair pressed against his shoulder and wriggled to get comfortable. The car seats were rough and worn, but Leonard leant back and absorbed the heat. Iowa really was beautiful, in it's own kind of way, endless fields of trimmed maize stretched out like a pale yellow blanket under the sky, which was pastel blue and streaked with clouds and jetstreams. Leonard looked down and laughed quietly, Jim's hair reminded him of the fields.

"Home!" Jim shouted, dragging his suitcase across the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. Leonard wheezed, "A bit far away from anything, isn't it?"

"Plenty of space for me to do whatever the fuck I like in my opinion, always was," Jim laughed, "When my mum couldn't catch me, that is."

"You little _shit_."

Three sharp knocks on the door triggered a response from inside the house, a skittering of feet and a hurried, "One second" as the door unlatched and Jim flew at his mum, catching her in a loving hug and bursting into laughter, "You're taller than I remember! It's so good to see you!" Winona gasped.

Leonard could really see Jim in his mum, his blonde hair and striking blue eyes were clearly inherited from her. "Leonard, Mum, Mum, Leonard." 

Leo shook her hand tightly, "It's nice to meet you Mrs Kirk, I've heard so much about you."

"As I have you." Winona shot Jim a look and they shared a chuckle.

"Why don't you two come in, take off your shoes." and the boys obeyed, stepping inside and removing their shoes, Jim throwing his into a pile in the corner of the room, Leonard neatly placing his beside the coat rack. "It's been so long since you last visited, what with all the starfleet crap you do," Winona's voice boomed from the kitchen, "you know how I feel about it."

Jim avoided the topic and shouted back, "I'm gonna give Bones a tour of the house, I expect a homecooked apple pie when I'm finished."

"Who the hell is Bones? and expect a slap around the head, make your own pie, Leonard can help!" Winona laughed.

"C'mon Bones, I'll show you around _the manor_."

Jim grabbed Leonard by the hand and pulled him out of the living room, they ascended a little staircase and Jim unlatched a door which was a little way across the corridor upstairs, "My old room." Jim said proudly.

His bedsheets were newly put out, a deep blue pillowcase and cover dotted with little stars. He had a shelf above his bed, displaying little assembled and painted figurines of starships, all meticulously placed and cared for, Leonard thought. The rest of his room was a menagerie of bedroom furniture and random shit that all teenage boys had in their rooms at some point. 

"Well It's different from what I expected," Leonard chuckled, "although I expected it to be a fucking  _pigsty._ "

"I take that very offensively." Jim laughed, pulling his face into an absurd, stern expression, "I'll have you know I was a very tidy kid, but only in my room."

 


	8. Chapter 8

Winona's voice boomed out from the kitchen, "Dinners ready boys!"

"Food!" Jim screamed, seizing Leonard's hand and dragging him downstairs. The table was neatly set out and although it stretched over the entire length of the dining room, only the side of the table near the kitchen was adorned with plates and cutlery. Jim took pride of place and the head of the table and Leonard slumped in next to him, peering into the kitchen and watching as Winona pulled a joint of meat out of the oven and fanned it with a cloth.

"I don't like all this rehydrated or whatever the hell it's called food, come over to my house and you'll get a proper meal!" Winona laughed, bringing the meat into the dining room and placing it on the table, swinging the cloth she had used to hold the tray over her shoulder and dashing back into the kitchen to retrieve a pot of steaming vegetables from the oven.

"I miss my Mum's cooking when we're at the academy," Jim started, "All the shit food we're given, eugh."

"Would you rather pay another £3000 ontop of your training for a piece of meat every night?" Leonard grumbled.

Jim thought for a second, " _yes._ " 

"You'd do anything for food."

Winona burst into the room and took her seat opposite Leonard, scooping a huge portion of vegetables onto Jim's plate.

" _mum._ "

"You have to eat your vegetables." Winona chuckled, "Otherwise, you don't get any damn dessert."

Jim grunted and took up his cutlery. 

"So Mrs Kirk, how long've you lived here?"

"25 years this summer," Winona replied, "and please, call me Winona."

Leonard nodded and they ate quietly for a while, although the silence was anything but awkward, rather calm. 

"How's academy life for you boys?" Winona asked.

"Tiring." Leonard laughed, "but I know that it's all gonna be worth it by next year, when we graduate."

"Ugh, all this work and exam stuff just flies straight over my head," Winona sighed, "never was really one for, y'know, complying."

"Well, now I see where Jim gets it from." Leonard chuckled.

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Winona shouted from the kitchen, "I think we should go on a walk, it's a nice day."

"I'm up!" Jim replied, and if Jim was, then so was Leonard.

"Sounds like a plan!"

They were out of the door in a few minutes, and it was more humid that in the morning.

Leonard wiped at his forehead with a hankie and let out a puff of heated breath, "I don't get how you could have grown up in this temperature _._ "

"What're you talking about?" Jim smirked, "Wait, you could always  _take off your shirt._ "

"You know boys, I'm literally right beside you."

"It's not actually the worst idea you've ever had." Leonard chimed, removing his backpack and peeling off his shirt, letting out a little relieved sound. They were strolling down the road from the Kirk household, dusty yellow fields spanning either side of them, and the sun beating down as if they were cakes in an oven. They only walked for a few minutes after realising that they had underestimated the temperature quite drastically. The walk back was less relentless since the darkening sky had brought with it streaks of clouds that fogged out the moon, temporarily releasing them from the heat. 

It was dark when they got back in the house, stripping of their shoes and falling across the couches in the living room.

"That was, humid." Leonard laughed.


	10. Chapter 10

Outside the air was dry and warm and alive with Cicadas. Jim and Leonard were sat on the sofa near the the kitchen, chatting across the room with Winona, who was snuggled into and old cushioned chair beside the fire. 

"It's a nice place you've got here, Winona. Big, quiet, beautiful."

"Yeah well it's been in the family for more generations than I can remember, Jim and I both grew up here. and y'see that little statue on the mantle, over there? That's my great pap's golfing trophy, won it like, 100 years ago, still in perfect condition!"  
  


Leonard chuckled and took a sip from a little glass of bourbon Jim had brought in from the kitchen.

"Hey, that's mine Bones!" Jim laughed.

"No, I believe yours is still in the bottle in the kitchen, this is mine, which you lovingly brought to the table for me."

Jim grumbled and slumped back into the kitchen, bringing in two more little glasses of bourbon, sliding one across the table to Winona and taking a deep sip from his own before slouching back onto the sofa.

"Sometimes it gets a bit lonely over here though," Winona paused, and her voice stuck in her throat for a few seconds, "Without Jim's father, I dont really have anyone with me alot of the time, the house is pretty deep in the fields and I don't get too many visitors. I mean, it has it's benefits, y'know, I can do whatever I want and all, but i'd like to have someone to share my nights and mornings with. I'm glad you boys visited."  
  


"Well I'm happy to come anytime I'm invited," Leonard replied assuringly, "It's a beautiful place, and a beautiful home, and I know how bad it can be when you've got nobody to turn to."

The sky outside grew darker and Winona shuffled in her chair, "I think it's time we turned in for the night, it's getting pretty dark, we're going into town tomorrow and I don't want you boys all tired and groggy. I don't have a third bedroom Leonard, so you're going to have to share with Jim, if that's alright?"

 


	11. Chapter 11

The mornings in Iowa were pretty similar to the mornings in Los Angeles, just a little brighter and a whole lot quieter.

"Morning Bones." Jim huffed, pawing at his eyes and stretching his arms over his head.

Leonard shouted from the bathroom, "Mornin'. We're going out today to town with your mum, so you'd better clean up, fast."

Jim removed his hands from his eyes and glanced at the wall clock, the hour hand just ticking past 8:00am. 

" _shit._ " 

The kid sprung out of bed and went flying into the bathroom, totally forgetting that Leonard was washing himself in the shower.

"What the, get out of here!" Leo screamed, covering himself up and slipping against the tiled wall, the pane that seperated the shower from the rest of the bathroom was foggy, but not to such an extent that it could be considered a suitably opaque barrier between the men.

"Oh fuck, sorry, I forgot you were in here." and Jim flew back out the door again, throwing on his clothes and brushing a comb through his coarse, blonde hair. Leo emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, slightly soggy and mummified in towel bandages, padding across the room in a pair of slippers to retrieve his clothes, which were organised in a neat pile on one of the chairs in the bedroom. 

"You really need to invest in an alarm clock, and a lock for that damn bathroom door!" leo grumbled.

Jim did a little impression of him and slid a belt through the loops at his waist.

" _C'mon boys, I can't wait all day whilst you grope each other in the bedroom!"_

 _  
_"There's no groping, Ma'am." Leo shouted back.

" _I told you, call me Winona."_

 _  
_"A'ight." Leonard mumbled.

Winona was poisitioned next to her car on the driveway. A little white skirt flowered down from her waist and her hair was pulled up into a modest bun at the back of her head, a few wild strands of hair escaping and falling about her head.

"You took your time, boys." She laughed.

"So, Winona, where exactly are we going?"

"Well, we we're gonna head up to town and shop for a while- but I heard the fair is up, so instead we're gonna pay it a visit."

Jim did a little fist pump in the air, "Thank god, no shopping!"

"Oh you shut up," she smiled, "and get in the car."

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys deserve a nice, long update since the last few have been mega-short, hope you enjoy, and remember to leave a comment and a kudos if you like it! :)

The street was lined with rides and stalls, shafts of opulent light slicing the morning fog into little swathes. Practically ever person in Iowa was on the street, peppered around the attractions.

The air was thick with chatter and heat. "I never thought the Fair could be so popular!" Leonard laughed. Jim and his mother's arms were intertwined, and they walked through the crowd happily.

"Y'know what, I think we should buy candyfloss!"

"Yes Jim," Winona chuckled, "I think  _you_ should buy us  _all_ candyfloss!"

"The things I do for you two." Jim sighed sarcastically, pulling out his wallet and dashing forward a bit to one of the food stands, slapping Leonard on the shoulder.

He soon returned with three pink clouds of candyfloss and handed Leonard and Winona theirs.

Leonard took a bite from the side, watching it unravel like a spool of puffy thread and struggling to detach the piece in his mouth from the rest on the stick,

"It's nice, warm."

Jim ate a bit and seconded Leonards opinion. They walked around for a while, eating and talking and admiring the rides and bumping into people Jim and Winona knew. Before they could all process how long they'd been there, the sky began darkening and the crowds of adults waned in place of children and teenagers.

"I think we'd better start to head back now, I'll make us a nice dinner." 

"Me and Bones just need to ride the ferris wheel, meet you back at the house?"

"How you gonna get back, dummy?" Winona laughed.

"By Taxi you old bag." and Winona waved as she headed back to the car, "Dinner'll be ready when you're back!" she shouted.

~

"Well then, I guess we're riding the ferris wheel, isn't it a bit late?" 

"Bones, you can't go to a fair without riding the ferris wheel."

"Well, you're right,  _for once._ "

The ride jutted out at the end of the street, overlooking the cornfields on one side and the town on the other, spinning quietly. Tens of couples were sat in the little seats, chatting quietly and laughing into each other. Jim and Leonard joined the queue, which thinned out rather quickly, an employee escorting them to their seats within a few minutes.

The Ferris wheel jutted and began to spin. It moved slowly and the sky was deep with stars now and the sheet of noise from the Fair dissipated as they reached the top of the wheel. Leonard turned to face Jim and caught his eye, breaking down into a little nervous laughter.  _Why are we both so nervous, what's there to be nervous about?_

Jim leant forward and their lips joined. A wave of ecstasy flooded through Leonards body, "I've wanted to do that since we met." 

"That makes two of us." and they pecked at each-others lips until the wheel lowered and stopped, and the gate swung open.

They called for a cab and squeezed in the back. Leonard peered out the window and gasped at the night sky.

"It's so clear, you can see everything."

"Yeah well, there's hardly any light pollution around here, you can see the starships pass over like little comets every now and then."

~

They were both still warm from the kiss and they strolled through the door to Jim's house, entering the living room and seeing a growing spread on the table, Winona strolled in and out with hot trays of food, "Evening boys, back so soon?"

"Yep, Ferris wheel, taxi, home." Jim chuckled.

"Well you're just in time, dinner's ready."

Jim, as always, took pride of place at the head of the table, Winona and Leonard slipping in on opposite sides of him.

"This looks amazing Winona." Leonard took a slice of meat and began building up his meal with a spoonful of mashed potatoes and a serving of baby vegetables.

"Yep, Don't want anyone going hungry in my house, I'm not one of those ready-meal mums."

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just an angsty fluffly little chapter I thought up to keep you guys entertained until i decide what'll happen next :)

Leonard wrenched opened his eyes, wincing at the light of his alarm clock and allowing his vision to blur in, 1:00 AM. Slumping out of bed, Leonard was careful to not drag the covers off of Jim, who was sleeping soundly. He padded down the corridor and eased open the door to the bathroom, making his way over to the sink and turning the hot tap on, allowing water to gush into the sink before he put his hands under the stream and wiped at his eyes. 

As Leonard took a drink from the tap, he heard a little sob from downstairs. He followed the noise, and found Winona sprawled out across the sofa, a picture held tightly in her hands.

"Winona?"

She jumped and let out a little shriek, but it was apparent that she had been crying, "Oh, hello Leonard. Isn't it a bit late for you to be up?"

"I heard you down here, crying. I wanted to know whats up."

And Winona let out another stretched sob, gesturing for him. Leonard walked forward and took Winona's hand, squeezing it tightly, "What's wrong."

"Oh, nothing... just memories again." She wiped a little at her eyes with the corner of a cushion.

Leonard peered closer and caught sight of the picture- Winona and her husband. They were standing on a boardwalk infront of the sea, both beaming smiles.

"Sometimes, it gets lonely. I fucking wish he was here to help."

Leonard paused for a second and let out a little sigh, "I know what it's like to lose someone."

"Yeah, it's fucking painful. Since George passed I've had this hole in my life, and no matter what I do it never seems to fill up."

"You have Jim, Winona. He'll always be here for you."

"Well you've both got to head back to the academy soon, who will I have then?" She stifled for a second and buried her face into a hankie.

"We'll be here for as long as you need us, we're on a break from the academy, remember?"

"You can't be here forever, though."

Leonard caught Winona's eyes and squeezed her hand again. 

"We all lose people we love. It leaves a hole in your life, and you can go on forever pretending that you're ok, but sometimes you have to let everything out and cry about it, if you keep it all pushed back then it's gonna surge up one day all at once, and that's not good. But we can't always linger on things, true love is eternal and I know you miss George, but so long as you remember him he'll never truly be gone, I know he would have wanted you to recover and move on."

Winona placed the picture back on the mantle. 

"Thank you, Leonard."

  


  



	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just an angsty fluffly little chapter I thought up to keep you guys entertained until i decide what'll happen next :)

Leonard wrenched opened his eyes, wincing at the light of his alarm clock and allowing his vision to blur in, 1:00 AM. Slumping out of bed, Leonard was careful to not drag the covers off of Jim, who was sleeping soundly. He padded down the corridor and eased open the door to the bathroom, making his way over to the sink and turning the hot tap on, allowing water to gush into the sink before he put his hands under the stream and wiped at his eyes. 

As Leonard took a drink from the tap, he heard a little sob from downstairs. He followed the noise, and found Winona sprawled out across the sofa, a picture held tightly in her hands.

"Winona?"

She jumped and let out a little shriek, but it was apparent that she had been crying, "Oh, hello Leonard. Isn't it a bit late for you to be up?"

"I heard you down here, crying. I wanted to know whats up."

And Winona let out another stretched sob, gesturing for him. Leonard walked forward and took Winona's hand, squeezing it tightly, "What's wrong."

"Oh, nothing... just memories again." She wiped a little at her eyes with the corner of a cushion.

Leonard peered closer and caught sight of the picture- Winona and her husband. They were standing on a boardwalk infront of the sea, both beaming smiles.

"Sometimes, it gets lonely. I fucking wish he was here to help."

Leonard paused for a second and let out a little sigh, "I know what it's like to lose someone."

"Yeah, it's fucking painful. Since George passed I've had this hole in my life, and no matter what I do it never seems to fill up."

"You have Jim, Winona. He'll always be here for you."

"Well you've both got to head back to the academy soon, who will I have then?" She stifled for a second and buried her face into a hankie.

"We'll be here for as long as you need us, we're on a break from the academy, remember?"

"You can't be here forever, though."

Leonard caught Winona's eyes and squeezed her hand again. 

"We all lose people we love. It leaves a hole in your life, and you can go on forever pretending that you're ok, but sometimes you have to let everything out and cry about it, if you keep it all pushed back then it's gonna surge up one day all at once, and that's not good. But we can't always linger on things, true love is eternal and I know you miss George, but so long as you remember him he'll never truly be gone, I know he would have wanted you to recover and move on."

Winona placed the picture back on the mantle. 

"Thank you, Leonard."

  


  



	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated for a while, so I thought i'd write a chapter for you guys. Enjoy, comment and leave a kudos if you like it! Always happy to hear feedback on what you liked or improvements/errors.

Leonard peered out of the bedroom window. Past the golden fields and fences, the sky was a deep red and flecked with little clouds that lazily passed over the sun.

Jim grunted from behind him, peeling the covers off of his face, "I'm glad we got 3 days of this left. I can't  _wait_ to get back to the academy, studying is my absolute favourite thing."

"Well it's a good thing you get it all done a fucking year ahead of schedule so you can pester me whilst i'm trying to get mine done, isn't it!" Leonard slumped into the bathroom and turned the shower on, carpeting the tiled floor with towels as the mirror steamed up.

"Jesus Jim, for a guy who's dreamed of being a star ship captain all his damn life, you sure aren't super motivated with your study."

"Yeah well, if they taught a practical class on having adventures in a real life star ship, you know i'd be first on the list."

Leonard grunted and closed the door to the bathroom.

Winona had breakfast set out and was carrying a tray of bacon in from the kitchen. She winked at Leonard and patted him on the back as she passed, "Thanks for last night, I really needed someone."

"What happened between you and mom last night, Bones? Am I gonna have to call you daddy now?" Jim laughed, and Leonard clobbered him around the back of the head with his palm.

"Anyway, I thought you boys might like to go into town again today, turned October this morning, and that means..."

Jim cut in and exploded with joy, " _HARVEST FESTIVAL!"_

"Me and Jim went every year before he moved to the academy. I think you'll like it, stalls, local food vendors, games and stuff."

"Sounds like a plan, maybe we can get Jim to eat some pumpkin pie."

Jim pretended to gag and glared at Leonard, "I'll eat pumpkin pie when there's a snow day in  _hell."_

 


	16. Chapter 16

The leaves were beginning to fall, mounding up into brown and yellow piles.

"Ready to go boys?"

Leonard had just finished lacing up his boots as he heard a moan from beside him, "Just a second, Winona." 

Jim was sprawled out over the sofa, trying and failing to squeeze on a pair of wellies.

"What the fuck even compels you to wear wellies on a day like this, you're not gonna get wet," Leonard drawled, " _unless I push you into a pond._ "

Jim continued to try, and Leonard stamped over. 

"A little help here, Bones?"

He groaned and grabbed one side of the welly whilst Jim gripped the other, and yanked upwards, feeling the satisfying thud of Jim's heel fitting into place.

"Ok, as long as your son doesn't have a third leg to put another welly on, we're ready!"

~

Iowa was just as packed as it was when the fair had rolled into town, the streets once again lined with people, a sheet of chatter and laughs and car horns. Although this time, instead of opulent fairground attractions and stalls, dozens of little shops skirted the area, each selling their own brand of miracle, natural food. Leonard was immediately drawn towards the pumpkin stand, a small stall in one of the further corners of the area, decorated with carved pumpkins and little packets of seeds and oddities. 

"Jim, I found your favourite stall." Leonard laughed.

Jim made some discernible noise and grabbed Leonards coat collar, pulling him away from the stall and towards Winona, who seemed to be learning how to carve a jack o' lantern.

Jim patted Winona on the shoulder, "We should totally check out the corn maze." 

"Alright then," She laughed to the person at the stall, "my idiot son is stealing me for a bit, but i'll be sure to come back and finish my Lantern."

"Who's that?"

"Oh, just someone I happened to go to school with many centuries ago, doesn't matter."

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been sooooo long since i last updated! Sorry for those of you who read, here's a decent length chapter to keep you interested! remember to subscribe, comment or kudos if you enjoyed it, thanks! :)

That night, Winona had prepared dinner, and they sat around the end of the table.

Jim tucked his chair in further and cleared his throat pretentiously. Recieving no response, he repeated the action but burst into a coughing fit , spluttering and gasping quite comically.

" _Would you like to say something, Jim?_ " 

"Yeah, who was that guy at the harvest fair, you seemed to have a thing for him."

Winona wriggled a little in her chair, "Oh don't be daft, it's been billions of years since i've seen him, and I wanted to catch up."

Jim put his fingers in his mouth and blew a little wolf whistle, "You like him don't you!"

"Fine, we went out for a bit in high school, happy?"

A smile beamed across Jim's face and he dived back in to his meal. 

Leonard struck an angry look at Jim and turned to Winona, "Do you think you still might have feelings for him, Winona?"

There was a moment of silence, "Well, you never really get rid of all the feelings you had for a person, especially after you dated for 4 years."

Jim spat out his food, "Four years!"

"Oh calm down, you didn't think I met your dad in pre-school did you? I had boyfriends before I met him, Christopher happened to be a long-term thing, before he had to move away."

"Christopher...what?"

Winona twisted her thumbs and strained to remember, "I don't quite remember, Trout?"

Jim's stomach flipped.

"It wasn't..." he paused for a second, "Pike, was it?"

"Oh, now that I think about it, yes, I think it could have been."

Leonard and Jim froze and turned to look at each other, each equally in shock and glazed over.

"You dated our Captain, for four years!?" 

Winona's eyes widened, "Oh shit."

Another fleck of silence ensued, and Jim burst into laughter, closely followed by Leonard, who produced more of a respectful chuckle.

"Oh he just had to be your damn captain, didn't he."


	18. Chapter 18

Leonard sat in quiet contemplation for a while before he spoke. 

"You know, Captain Pike currently lives at the academy, and that's where we'll be returning when we're called back for the term. If there are any, y'know, remaining feelings between you two, maybe we could take you on a little field trip to see him?"

"Oh no, boys. You can't do that, i'd be a burden, I'm sure you don't want to be slugging me around when you've got all of your examinations looming. Anyway, who would take care of the house when I'm gone?"

Jim eventually injected, "It's a house, mom, how much care does it actually need, you're only gonna be gone for a few days at most."

"Yeah, and Jim finished his finals so damn early you're not exactly going to get in the way."

A small silence ensued and Winona finally nodded, "I guess it would be nice for me to finally make my way out of the house, out of Iowa. I've always wanted to see where you boys do all of your space-ship nonsense, I never got a chance to visit the academy with George."

Jim cheered and Leonard smiled approvingly, "You'd better get packing your things then."

~

Dinner ended and Winona retired to her room. Leonard decided he was also packing it in for the night, heading off to his and Jim's room a while after. 

Leonard's voice was a little muted behind the roar of the water, "I'm using the shower, Jim. Don't go fucking sneaking around in the bathroom like you did last time."

Jim strolled into the bedroom and grunted, "That was one time Bones, a mistake. Anyway, don't pretend you didn't enjoy it, I'm not pretending." 

Leonard could tell that Jim must have done some sort of provocative gesture (that he didn't realise Leonard couldn't possibly have saw) because he had cracked himself up outside. Leonard thumped the wall, "Privacy is privacy, dumb-ass."

"Oh come on, we're two peas in a pod. Except i'm the more beautiful pea, you're like, the rugged, stubble pea."


End file.
